Sabulum Unda
by Rinslet
Summary: His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand...'KuroTomo, AU, and maybe a bit OOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **It's been a long time since I wrote anything, sorry for the lack of updates.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, it rightfully belongs to the talented CLAMP.

I don't own the sand/water concept in this fic, it rightfully belongs to Kaori Yuki, in her manga Gravel Kingdom which I based the idea on.

English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make mistakes…

**Summary: **His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand... AU, a bit OOC KuroTomo

* * *

_Sabulum Unda_  
_by Rinslet_

_- - -_

**  
Clow Country, Psamathe Central Square-**

The crowd had merely started to thicken when the man stood up. His clothes suggested that he was a traveler and had been one for many years. He cleared his voice and captured the passersby with his powerful voice.

"Listen to my story…It happened many years ago, more than a thousand years"

The man's eyes traveled his crowd and found that his faithful listener wasn't present today. Oh well, he'll just have to narrate it again to her another day.

"There was a great warrior in our land of sand. He knew not of fear or indecision, he would've made a great leader if it weren't for his arrogance. He cared not of other people's problem and saw the world as a hindrance. But once he knew that they bowed at his feet, he immediately raised his own flag upon this land…"

The little children that gathered around him listened intently, spellbound. The man smiled at a girl and her frog plushy and tapped the place next to him. She giggled and went to sit next to him.

"He was the first ruler of our Country of Sand. With his skills, he raised an Empire. His weapon, a sword made of strange black steel carried his name through battle… His name was…"

- - -

**-Clow Country, X years before.-**

"Kurogane-samaaaa!"

The huge twin mahogany doors opened and a teenager entered the quarters of his ruler. The room was enormous and beautiful furniture filled the room. Portraits of their land hung on every inch of the three walls and candles lit the place. The forth wall was replaced by a huge glass, giving him a view of the Lord's personal aquarium. He wondered why his Lord would be interested in such a thing, but did not dare question him.

The boy looked around the room. His beige costume ranked him as a servant.

The boy approached the scarlet sofa and found a man dozing off on it. The boy knelt next to him and coned his hands around his mouth.

"Kurogane-sama!"

Abruptly, the man sat up, hitting the boy in the process with his head. Both fell back, holding onto their injury. The boy held his chin and the man held his bleeding nose.

"Amaru! I told you not to wake me up unless it was urgent! What the hell is it this time!" His hand reached for a tissue.

"I wouldn't rate it as an emergency, but it is quite important"

"What is it now?"

"A gift, milord. From the land you just conquered three full moons ago."

"Three full moons? I don't remember any of that! Don't try to fool me kid, or I'll have your head."

"Kurogane-sama, I have served you all my life (and still am as long as I live) like my father served yours. I wouldn't dare disrupt the peace between our families and bring shame upon my family name. What I speak is the truth: Three full moons ago, you waged war against the Land of Tyr and won."

"I tell you that I don't freakin' remember any of that. If that is the case, then a banquet must be thrown in my honor!"

The boy sighed "You did throw a banquet milord; before and after the battle. You had just celebrated your victory over the ruler of Fenrir and had gone drunk. Without letting anyone know, you waged war against the land of Tyr on your own and won."

"I never get drunk. You lie, Amaru. And how on earth could I fight a war alone?"

"I dare not milord. What I say is all true. You boasted of your victory shortly after coming back with the king's head! (It is displayed in your museum by the way) You said that you had no difficulty entering since everyone feared you and even the guards didn't stay to protect their king! The Lord was small and fat, so it wasn't much of a challenge to you. Yet you slew him as to make that land part of your Empire."

"For your sake, it'd better be placed on the silver platter next to my dagger of Remnaq."

Amaru smiled lightly and nodded. He knew that his master didn't mean it.

"Now, as I was saying. Your gift has arrived when the sun was at its peak. Do you wish to see it now milord?"

"Yeah sure, whatever. Bring it in."

Kurogane stood up and reached for a topaz colored cape which he flung around his topless half, for decency's sake.

Guards entered his room, pushing a huge block covered with a black cloth. The object was on a wooden board and was moved by little wheels.

Unimpressed by its size, Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

Servants gathered behind the door, drawn by curiosity.

Amaru held a corner of the cloth and looked at his Lord. "Shall I show you?"

"Have you already seen what it is, Amaru?'

"No sir, only the guards downstairs who brought it in. When I came to them, they attempted to hide it. They wanted it for themselves."

"Have them beheaded."

"Already done, milord. This must be quite a gift. Shall I uncover it?"

When he got the approval, the boy pulled it.

The guards widened their eyes and the servants held back their breath.

Kurogane unfolded his arms incredulously.

The gift was a huge aquarium. In there, a pale girl was floating.

A Water girl.

Her long raven hair flowed around her and amethyst eyes stared at Kurogane. She wore a thin blue material that molded to her curves when she moved.

_A beautiful creature encaged in his domain of sand._

The Lord approached and put a hand on the glass. "This will make an excellent addition into my aquarium." He ordered his guards to move his prize aside.

"Kurogane-sama! Look out!" shouted his young servant.

The girl swam quickly toward the man and knocked the wall of its prison.

The block tilted and Kurogane saw that the cover was loose.

The girl swam up a bit and knocked at it again. This time, the block was out of balance and came crashing down. Kurogane quickly jumped away and landed on top of a table before the water spilled everywhere.

Some of the guards and maids who were close weren't that fortunate. As soon as the water came in contact with their skin, they screamed. The contact dissolved their body, rendering it to a pile of wet sand.

Their agonizing cries were heard throughout the palace.

- - -

Amaru's vision blurred. The humidity in the room was making him feel ill. He could barely see a hand reaching out to touch his face.

Weakly, he leaned back. His grandmother's words played in the back of his mind.

_One touch from them and us sand people…_

Amaru desperately crawled away from her.

_...will...die. _

"Don't move"

The girl stopped as a black sword was across her neck, ready to slit her throat open anytime.

"Interesting…this gift from Tyr…was it in hope to eliminate me?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** the usual

English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make mistakes…

**Summary: **His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand... AU, a bit OOC KuroTomo

* * *

"_Don't move"_

_The girl stopped as a black sword was across her neck, ready to slit her throat open anytime._

"_Interesting…this gift from Tyr…was it in hope to eliminate me?"_

- - -

**Sabulum Unda**

**By Rinslet**

**Chapter II**

**- - -**

_Who would be _

_  
A mermaid fair, _

_  
Singing alone, _

_  
Combing her hair _

_  
Under the sea, _

_  
In a golden curl _

_  
With a comb of pearl, _

_  
On a throne?_

-

"You…are stronger than most Sand creatures."

"Humidity doesn't affect me."

"I see…they've underestimated you."

Carefully, the king removed his cape and wrapped it around the girl tightly, disabling her movements.

The blade was kept between them as a barrier.

"Despite your strength, you still cannot touch me" she mused.

"I don't deny my origin... But…you too. Had I let you touch my servant, both of you would've died. Why did you go after him if you were sent to kill me?"

"The conflict between you and Tyr doesn't concern me… I was merely trying to free myself from all this."

Struggling to stand on his feet, Amaru quickly started the emergency procedures. The dampness was evacuated through the ventilation system. He then turned toward his Lord and the girl.

"You were trying to kill yourself"

"As long as it meant freedom"

Kurogane 'tch'-ed and lowered his sword.

"I could kill you right now. The world that you're desperately trying to run away from, I could kill it all too, including myself. Then you would be free of everything. But, would you still go on living?"

Kurogane carefully pulled down his cape around her, tearing her dress in the procedure, enough to expose her left shoulder.

"People like you who give up their lives before their due time are what sicken me the most."

With his fingers, he traced a symbol on her skin, burning it into her flesh.

The girl muffled a scream.

Kurogane however, didn't look pained at all, even after he pulled back his burned hand.

"This marks you as mine. So you can't swing away your life without my permission. You are my 'property'. Got it?"

The fabric was then pulled back up, before he roughly pushed her down on his scarlet sofa.

Amaru approached Kurogane and bowed down beside him. "Any orders sir?"

"I want Nakuru to be here, and ready the guards. I'm off 'visiting' Tyr."

"It has already been done m'lord."

"Tch, what kinda freaky sorcery did you pull Amaru? You can't possibly read my mind."

The boy grinned, "I only know my lord only too well."

The King sent one last look toward his captive before leaving the room. Only then did the girl notice that he had not once mentioned the conflict between the two tribes. He had shamed her, burned his mark on her skin and criticized her weak-willed personality, yet not once did he scorned her nature; the paleness of her skin compared to the sand's rich golden one; her hair, like waves, flowing down her shoulders compared to his straight and silky hair…

A jubilant cry broke her out of her thoughts, before she even knew it; somebody was already hugging her tightly. Wait, _hugging_ her?

"Kyaaaaaa! Is that the water girl who just came today! She's sooo pretty!"

"Ah, Akizuki-san. Right on time as usual. This is…eh…"

Amaru sweatdropped as Nakuru was squeezing the life out of the newcomer.

-

"Aiya, Kurogane-sama tore your pretty dress! How mean!" Eyeing the fabric with a professional eye, the older woman shook her head and dragged the water girl to sit on the king's big red couch. As she stood beside her, the woman eyed her companion, stopping at the marks on her throat. Shrugging, she pulled the king's cape around it.

"This place is…"

"Its Kuro-sama's. No worries, he won't kill you for just sitting on his throne."

"THRONE?" the girl jumped off the couch and fidgeted uncomfortably. Surely, even though he wasn't her king, her poor self surely wasn't meant to touch anything so out-of-her-reach.

"Hahhaha, 'throne' said I. It's true! Kurogane-sama loves the comfort of this chair and wanted to replace the throne with this couch, but Amaru (the little boy you just saw now who is just sooo adorable) complained that it didn't look serious. They had an argument about it, thus resulting in 5 days of cleaning for the poor little boy and Kurogane had no one to play shogi with. Now stop jumping around and sit down will you? I'm gonna brush your hair. Then we'll go and get you a new dress. I'm sure Nataku will come up with something…"

After much coaxing, the girl finally sat down and her hair was immediately seized with firm hands.

"You can touch me?"

Nakuru smiled, she had expected that question. "Are you surprised?"

"They say that he hates us."

"Aren't you as much alive as I am?"

"Then… why?"

"You know, although he has no love for us, it doesn't mean that he hates us. If you ever happen to walk around the castle (and I'm not saying that you never will) you'll see that aside from the two of us, there are others. Some of us were all strays, picked up from every corner of the land. He didn't ask us any questions; he just took us in when he deemed us worthy of his attention. Kurogane-sama sees past our origin."

"But he wages war against our people. Don't you care about that?"

Nakuru gave a rueful smile and stared at the aquarium. "He wages war against his own kind too. When people try to oppose him, he kills them, when it's about protecting himself or those that are under his wing, he doesn't hesitate."

Tomoyo didn't respond, her gaze turned toward the big aquarium. "It's pretty huh? Makes you feel like you were any other mermaid combing her hair under the sea. Kinda feels homey."

"…Yes"

* * *

A/N: Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Another CLAMP character makes an appearance! It's Nakuru/Ruby Moon from CCS –smile- couldn't decide which CLAMP character, but since my sis drew a pic about Sabulum Unda and there was Ruby Moon, I decided to add her/him. Oh yeah…well, let's just say it's 'her'.

Check out my sis' deviantart, pen name "pen-gwyn". She drew SU's cast, so I guess I'll be using them. There's also a companion pic for my other fic "Black Steel, White Plum Blossom" (that I wrote way back when).


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: yup, it's been almost forever since I updated huh? Sorry about that, but seriously, college is taking up way too much of my time. Btw, thx **Haruka2007**, that last review knocked some sense into me, lol. Answers from your questions in your reiew are below. I just realized that I had used both 'Nakuru' and 'Ruby Moon' to design our lovable character inpast chapters. I decided to change it all to Nakuru (the name' prettier…), but keep in mind that I'm actually referring to her transformed version (red hair, lipstick..you know how she is)

For those wondering about **Someone Just For Me**, I'm thinking of re-writing it (too many weird stuff, I'm not really proud of it)…though I'm not really sure about having the time for it, so its on hiatus for the moment. My semester finishes the 22nd, so I may have time to think about that decision during winter break.

Btw, ratings may go up. Nothing explicit, but mentions of physical harassments in this chapter… I'm keeping it as low as possible, but still, you are warned.

**Disclaimer:** the usual (wouldn't want to waste your time reading this eh?)

English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make mistakes…

**Summary: **His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand... AU, a bit OOC KuroTomo

* * *

_Tomoyo didn't respond, her gaze turned toward the big aquarium. "It's pretty huh? Makes you feel like you were any other mermaid combing her hair under the sea. Kinda feels homey."_

"…_Yes"_

- - -

**Sabulum Unda**

**By Rinslet**

**Chapter III**

- - -

_A mermaid found a swimming lad,_

_Picked him for her own,_

_Pressed her body to his body,_

_Laughed; and plunging down_

_Forgot in cruel happiness_

_That even lovers drown._

**- William Butler Yeats -**

- - -

"So? Do you think you can come up with something?"

"I don't see why I have to do something about it…"

"Awwww, come on Na-chan, she's the King's guest! Surely, you don't wanna disappoint 'Daddy'"

The man frowned and held his chin in a pensive position. He then looked down at the small figure in front of him.

Tomoyo shifted on her other foot, feeling uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.

She let out a small gasp as he reached down and cupped her face up, once again surprised that another person could touch her.

"These marks…?" his eyes rested on her neck.

Tomoyo gasped and jerked away from him, pulling the king's cape around herself. The man shrugged.

"Pretty little creature. I guess I have something appropriate." With that, he turned around and headed for the adjacent room.

Tomoyo turned toward the older woman "You saw them too, but you didn't say a thing…"

" 'thought that you might make up your mind to tell me 'bout it one day yourself!"

"Thank you"

"No prob. But believe me; I'm really into all the details! So you will HAVE to tell me about all that lovey-dovey th-!"

Tomoyo quickly changed the subject "That man..?"

Nakuru winked at her companion.

"Human. Surprised?"

Tomoyo nodded.

"That was Nataku, the best tailor you'll ever find in the whole kingdom! He makes the prettiest dress; all shiny and cute and-"

Tomoyo sweatdropped while her escort blabbered on. Surely, she wouldn't have to suffer the humiliation of walking around in frilly things, in an enemy's territory on top of that.

Oblivious, Nakuru continued to rant, this time waving her arms around.

"And you should've seen the size! How the hell did Nataku know how big those…...those things were! I'm telling you, he can tell the size of everyone's bod just by looking! And-"

How long has it been since she has been captured by the King of Tyr? She couldn't remember anymore. Around the time she had stopped to care and decided to give in, she had been sent away to this land and been made the king's toy.

Now what was she going to do?

- - -

"Not bad…" he commented

"Not bad at all" Nataku agreed.

Tomoyo blushed and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her dress was simple, yet she found it beautiful. It was a white and lavender one-piece dress with only a few ribbons (she sighed with relief at that) that reached short above her knees. Totally water proof and the upper part hugged her top while the bottom was like a gathering of multiple petals of a white plum blossom. Though it was a bit see-through, she found it less revealing than what the king of Tyr forced her to wear in front of him.

A hand seized her arm and lead her away.

"Akizuki-san?"

"Though I don't mind spending another 2-3 hours with you, we can't make the King wait."  
The woman turned around and blew a kiss at the tailor.

"Na-chan! I'll come again some other time!"

The man rolled his eyes and blew away his bangs. "Don't call me that."

He gave them both a quick nod before Nakuru dragged Tomoyo around a corner.

"May I ask where are we going?"

"You'll see."

They made a few sharp more turns before they stopped at a blue door.

"Well? Go in! We don't have all day"

"Where does it lead to?"

"Nowhere dangerous, that I promise. Now just go in. I'll see you later perhaps."

The taller woman pushed the other inside and locked the door.

"Bummer, what I'd give to be in her position. Oh well! Time to go tease someone else…"

- - -

'_It's so dark…I can't see'_

Tomoyo took a tentative step and nothing happened. She searched for a wall with her hands, but found none. It was a rather spacious room.

She tiptoed in one direction, slowly.

_What are they doing to me? Am I…going to die?_

Unconsciously, her hand flew over the mark he gave her.

_It's okay isn't it? I have nothing left in this world anyways… _

There was a loud _bang_ and Tomoyo jumped. She quickened her pace and ran around blindly.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared and she fell down-

-into the water.

_What?_

- - -

Unknown to her, Kurogane, who had returned from his trip some while ago, watched her behind his raised glass of wine. He was seated in his favorite red sofa, only a few meters away from the aquarium.

In his eyes, she was already his, trapped between his fingers, swimming in a sea of red wine.

He lowered the glass to his lips and took a long sip.

She finally seemed to have noticed him, and rested both her hands on the thick glass.

//Why are you keeping me here?//

Kurogane stood up from his red sofa and approached. As if mocking her, he raised his glass in her direction.

"Cheers"

//Kill me// the words spilled out of her mouth before she even thought about it.

The king frowned at her words, "Not gonna happen" he nodded his head toward where the 'promised' mark was supposed to be.

"You live. That is my decision."

She involuntarily hugged herself and swam back a bit. No doubt, when he tore her dress, he must've seen them…

Amused, he chuckled slowly.

//Why do you insist on keeping me here? I am of no use to you…//

"Well, I know that you make a very nice trophy"

//Then I'm better off dead somewhere else---//

His big hand slammed on the glass wall, right in front of her throat. "Shut up _pedlr_. That's enough of your pathetic comments. You think that after 'that', your life is all over?! Grow up, _cred_ happens sometimes." when she didn't respond, he 'tche-ed'.

"_Vilg_, I hate women like you… not living life to your fullest…" he drained his glass and threw it at the far corner of the room. "maybe I oughta kill every last one of ya 'till you're the only one left…maybe then you'll value your life more considering you'd be the last of your kind…"

//What?!//

Kurogane turned his back to her. As he made his way to the doors, Tomoyo panicked.

'_Was he joking? Was it a real threat? Where is he going?!'_

Millions of questions filled her head, and for the first time since her arrival, she was afraid. Not for herself, oh no, she feared for her loved ones…

Seeing no other way, she suddenly called out to him.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"_From today onward, you are our new miko…"_

"_Remember Tomoyo, it is a gift from our goddess…she has chosen you, to someday incarnate her into our world…you should feel blessed…"_

"…_never, ever use your gift to harm anyone…"_

"_May we present you, milord of Tyr, our new priestess…she is our gift, to celebrate the union of our two great people…"_

_He had always watched her with a hint of lust in his eyes…his greasy hands would sometimes trace the borders of her aquarium, craving for something she was sure she never would give to him…_

_She couldn't remember clearly what happened on the day of his murder…   
The king of Tyr had ordered his guards to drag her out of the aquarium and then they were left alone. She had a very bad feeling when the fat king approached her, rubbing his chubby hands together in satisfaction. Afraid, she ran everywhere; she didn't know the palace well enough. The wild laughter came from every direction and it made her even more nervous. She knew that he would find her, for her wet hair and body left a trail. As she ran, she stripped from an extra layer of her rich clothing and pulled her hair together in a cloth to keep water from dripping.  
Soon enough, she found herself in the garden. There were midnight guards at their post. She carefully went around them and tried to find a way to climb up the wall…_

_Unfortunately, the King entered the garden. "My toy seems to have gone a bit wild…I might consider handing it to the one who will find her first after I play with her…"  
The guards hooted and even bet among themselves who would find her first. They lighted more torches and scouted the area. In tears, she scurried around in the tall grass and prayed the water goddess to come to her aid. The guards' singing voices were all around her and were getting closer…_

_Oh t'was a mermaid, beautiful as dawn  
Gave her heart to men  
Her body to men  
And was beautiful no more!_

_When a foot stopped in front of her, she held her breath and looked up. A tall, bearded man grinned down at her, light in hand. "Well well…what do we have here?" He extinguished his torch by planting it face down in the ground and before she knew it, he pushed her on the ground, clamping her mouth with a large gloved hand. His weight kept her on the ground. "To hell with second place! If I can shag you first, then I'll die a happy man!" His other hand was about to roam all over her petite body, "No worries gorgeous, you won't feel a thing after I'm done with yo-"_

_A loud scream cut him off. His head shot up, alerted. "What the hell?!"_

_The guards around ran toward the direction of the scream._

"_We're under attack! We're under at-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh"_

"_Mekel!"_

"_Hey look out!"_

"_Aaaaargh!"_

"_The hell is going on here!?" Her attacked stood up, pulling her in the process. She couldn't even manage a scream, terrified as she was. _

"_The King! Protect the king!" the others shouted._

"_Damn it…" _

_She was pulled to the inner courtyard, where most of the servants had woken up from the loud screams._

_  
"Lock her up…the king will decide what to do with her after…"_

"_Y-yes sir!"_

_Tomoyo closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to recover from all of this. She barely registered someone stroking her cheek, this time lovingly, in farewell, before the guard ran to the garden._

_She never did saw that man again._

_- - - _

_She was locked in the dungeons, out of the water. Her body became dehydrated. She didn't know what happened and nobody told her any details. The prisoners had given her looks, and others had tried to start a conversation with her, but to no avail. When she finally lost count of the days, a guard came down to get her._

"_The king requests your presence" was all he said.  
Tomoyo was bathed, clothed and pampered until the sun was at its highest._

_The king was alive?_

_When she was finally ready, they brought her to the throne room. Seated was not a small chubby person, but a tall, elegant man with blond hair. He was handsome, but she knew better than to be deceived by appearance alone. _

_The room quieted._

"_Tell me, fair maiden, do you recall what happened that day?"_

_She hesitated a while before muttering a few words. An impatient general requested her to talk louder._

"_That night…the…king chased me to the gardens…"_

"_Yes, we know that! His body was found there!" another general shouted._

'_So he is dead…what a relief..' she immediately scolded herself for thinking so…coldly toward her host. Her role was to ensure a good relationship between their two worlds…yes, if she hadn't resisted, she wouldn't have been here, suspected for the king's death…_

_She stepped forward and bowed._

"_I really don't know what happened, your highness. It was quiet for a moment, then suddenly, I heard a guard screaming…then another, and another… a guard led me to the servants where I was then kept in the dungeons…"_

_Snickering, someone asked "And what, pray tell, why were you being chased to the gardens?" The room erupted in laughter._

_She blushed in shame and looked down._

_A man standing next to the king claimed order and once again, the room was quiet. The new king stood up._

"_So you don't really know, then it shall by my role to lighten you up." He approached her and lifted her chin up. "That day, the arrogant king of the East came storming here, dead drunk and holding his black sword. No one really knows how he got in, but that's a story for another time…"_

"_Waltzing in here like he owned the place, he saw our previous king and chopped off his head." He violently flicked her head to the side, giving her a full in-depth of the story. "Now, had the king been in his chamber, it might've been avoided. You do realize whose fault this is isn't it?"_

"_I…"_

_The royal counselor cut her off "In doing so, you have thinned our trust in your people. Weren't you offered by your own people to serve us? to create a bridge? In accepting that mission, you have sold yourself to us, body and soul. Yet you refused. The present situation has thinned our trust in you; in your people."_

"_Please! I-I would do anything to take it back! My misbehavior….was sinful…I really…am…"_

_The king interrupted her "Still, there is light in the circumstance."_

_Tearful, she looked up to him…and saw an all too familiar glint in his eyes._

"_I really have to thank you though. Because of your rash actions, I was made King! King! Can you believe it?! Ten years I've waited for that old bastard to die! And now, finally…" he ignored the guards around as they cried indignantly at his attitude toward the late king._

"_Let me thank you then, personally" the last word was emphasized._

"_Leave us" he ordered his guards._

_- - - _

"_See? You're getting better already…"_

_She didn't look up from the floor._

"_But somehow, I am not quite satisfied…"_

"…_my lord?"_

"_If this is realy what you people has to offer, then really, I'm quite disappointed."_

"_You……You-!" she gathered her robes and stood up._

"_Beautiful…maybe will I only be satisfied when my harem will be full of your kind?"_

_He laughed and circled around her "After I get control of the Sand…should I take over Water as well?"_

_Guards entered the room, grabbing her and pulled her away. _

_The next day, she was shipped to a different location._

_And then she met the demon eyed king.  
_

* * *

Aside from her usual routine at the temple, she had never done this in front of anyone else but the statue of the water goddess herself.

_A mermaid found a swimming lad,_

Her parents had told her that it was an art given by their goddess, therefore shall only be done for her and never to harm others no matter what.

She parted her lips and started with a hum.

_Picked him for her own, _

It then changed to a series of words, incomprehensible to the king's ears, but it was beautiful. By the time he realized what she was doing, it was already too late. Her voice lulled him to the aquarium. When the wall stopped him from going further, he cracked. The gap between him and her became unbearable. His fist pounded the glass with every once of strength he has, just to reach her.

_Pressed her body to his body,_

It wasn't necessary, but she danced to her own song, moving slowing. In a corner of his mind, the one that was fighting her control, he thought how could something so elegant be sinful when watched or heard with someone else's eyes and ears than that of the goddess?

_Laughed; and plunging down_

Her dance quickened, became more complicated, more alluring and provoking.

His hands were bleeding, but he didn't care. All he wanted was her. The aquarium was starting to crack, and tiny rivulet streamed down, burning his skin. All he wanted was her.

A puddle started to form at his feet and spread across the room.

The servants that were passing by saw that water was leaking under the grand doors and gasped.

_Forgot in cruel happiness_

Tomoyo raised her hand toward him, beckoning him to claim what he truly deserved.

_That even lovers drown._

The doors were thrown open "Your majesty!"

- - -

"Your orders, your majesty?"

The king of Tyr thought for a moment, then smile wickedly "Send a message to our ally. Tell them that their 'precious' gift got stolen from us by the country of sand…I wonder if they would do something about it?"

* * *

**Haruka: **Actually, Tyr isn't under water, its only a small kingdom somewhere else, filled with humans. Mermaid? I think I never mentioned that Tomoyo was a mermaid, only a 'water creature'. If I did, then let's say that I'm not too fond of the tail and decided to ditch that concept... Sorry if I got ya confused. Ah, the interactions between KuroTomo...well you'll find out -smile-

A/N: I wrote this one in quite a rush, so didn't really get the time to reread and check on things…if there's anything weird, point it out for me please.

The phrases in between aren't what Tomoyo is singing, there just there for show (and to make a parallel between the poem and the fic…um yeah)  
_  
_You probably noticed that I put some words in italic, try guessing what language Kurogane is speaking (was meant to make up a language for the sand people…but I wasn't good enough to invent to words so I used someone's else idea…) Of course, the invention of this language is fully to their credit as I took no part in its creation.

I'll reveal it the next chpt…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:… there really are no words for me to say to excuse my retarding this fic. To all those who keep coming back and checking my fic, this chpt is dedicated to **you**

Lol..specially Haruka2007. Second time I'm getting my ass kicked by you lol. First by the, I quote, "UPDATE GOD DAMIT!" gave me quite a laugh, but seriously, readers should do that more often…lol. At least it works for me. Thx for sending me the link, I went to check the pic and read some of the comments there.

First, a few answers to some reviewers:

Ngoc Chau: lemon? Dunno, maybe, maybe not. The story is rated T, so…probably nothing too offensive for young readers lol…

The "things" that the king saw were hickeys and some nasty twisted marks that the new king of Tyr left on her body after her *cough*forcednightwithhim*cough* they didn't get the time to heal since she got shipped off to Kurogane the next day. Hmmm, yeah, something like that.

Moon: right on! The Sand People speak Al Bhed! Lol

Sheo Darren: I can't really remember where I found the poem…guess it'll remain as a little mystery, lol. It did good though.

Since its been a really long time since I wrote a fic, I'm gonna start slow (as in don't expect a 30578394758934530 word chpt.) Gotta find my my drafts and then hopefully, it'll get better. The fic was supposed to have been a one-shot (cuz I hate long stories…cuz the author may not update it for a long time *cough*badrinslet*cough* but lost a few drafts and had to release it little by little. Anyway, all that bullshit talk just to say that the end is nearing, and hopefully, you guys will enjoy it.

And for some who wish to know a bit in advance, I'll let you on a little _**SPOILER**_ (don't read if you don't wanna know): Notice any kind of pattern lately with my KuroTomo fics? Well, expect something of the like for this one.

Now on with the story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, it rightfully belongs to the talented CLAMP.

English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make mistakes…

**Summary: **His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand... AU, a bit OOC KuroTomo

* * *

"_Your orders, your majesty?"_

_The king of Tyr thought for a moment, then smile wickedly "Send a message to our ally. Tell them that their 'precious' gift got stolen from us by the country of sand…I wonder if they would do something about it?"_

---

**Sabulum Unda****  
****by Rinslet  
Chapter IV**

_- - -_

_With a lovely voice, she lures the men_

_On a rock, she sings_

_For her loved ones_

_On a rock, she weeps_

_For the lost ones_

_Oh, her voice would lead one astray_

_With a broken voice, she got hunted down_

_Witch, Jinx, Curse, Crow, they called her_

_Oh, what would a mermaid be without her voice?_

_-_

Of all the strays Kurogane gathered, the command in chief of his inner castle military was the most outstanding of them all.

Tall, handsome, bred for combat and quick-witted.

Should the enemy ever reach past the gates, his knowledge of all the castle's secret passages would enable him to come up with a quick, infallible and foolproof defense strategies.

He also helps out planning battle tactics when his King set out for war with another country. Before the king would set a foot out with the regiment, Kurogane would always come to meet him to devise a plan of attack and such until late at night.

Commander Shougo, reaching his mid-twenties, was a born strategist.

Now why would one such as him be cooped up in the castle, not sent out in the open battlefield?

By looking at him, none would have guessed that Shougo, on top of being one of the few humans in Kurogane's castle, was born deaf.

This little handicap ruined many opportunities that had come and go all throughout his life. His presence on the battlefield would be too dangerous for himself.

His purpose would better be here.

It was probably his majesty's way to say that he would only be a nuisance.

He understood that perfectly, yet life within the castle wasn't all that pleasant, if not a constant reminder of his disability.

Always, he watched with envy the people who tilted their head on a side, in a dream-like stance, while a band was performing. He looks at the instruments, the singers, the dancers clothed with jewelleries, the birds and imagines the sound. But all he hears is…nothing.

This inability had made him angry, and quite a perfectionist.

However, today as he came running to the King's room after being informed by some maids who were suspicious as to why some guards and male servants are standing in front of their kings chambers, in a trance-like, he realized that for once his deafness was useful, for once.

As he saw a mob of male servants and guards starting to tear the giant mahogany doors down, he acted quickly and ran down the hallway, around a corner, another few turn and kicked open the blue door.

- - -

At the sight of his near madness, Tomoyo swam back a little as the glass was reaching its limit.

No one, NO one ever threatens the Water people. Should this king fall, it would lead his people disarray. With his strength gone, she hoped that, at the very least, her people would stand a chance in surviving a purge.

Too lost was she in her intent that she had not notice a man perched on top of the aquarium, analysing the situation.

Shougo shot a look at his feral king, the near breaking glass wall and the water girl dancing and moving her lips. He immediately sprung to action.

His grip on his support loosened and he dropped himself into the water.

The water girl turned towards him, shock spread clearly on her face.

In the water, his movement was slow and weak, but he took advantage of the element of surprise and reached for her neck with his two large hands.

He saw that she had stopped moving her lips, and was trembling helplessly in fear, but he did not gave way to pity.

He strangled her.

- - -

A jet of water hit his face, and Kurogane screamed out in pain, backing away.

What the hell happened?

He looked down at his hands. They were burned and scarred. He reached up to touch the side of his face. Yup, a scar was probably gonna be left there.

Some banging behind him and he shot a quick look.

The doors of his chambers were severely damaged and his guards and servants were looking straight past him, at something on the wall behind.

He turned back and widened his eyes.

- - -

Tomoyo desperately reached for anything that could help her rid of the man who has his hands around her neck. She was suffocating.

The fishes in the water felt her fear and tried to help, but despite their numbers, the man simply did not budge. He ignored their biting and tail whipping.

She felt her life drain from her slowly, her head tilting backward…

Though it was faint and dulled by the water, she heard a crack and thought that it was the sound of her neck breaking, the last thing she would ever hear.

Instead, the pressure around her neck was gone and she floated away.

The image she saw before losing consciousness was that of a long, black steel sword pierced through the glass, the tip barely a few millimetres in front of her aggressor's face.

Then all went black.

- - -

The king of Tyr bowed to the Water chieftain (who, true to the rumors, was a beautiful woman) and showed an apologetic expression.

"Truly, it is a horror that should not be let by… As you are well aware, the demon of the East, the one they call Kurogane, came storming into our country, sparing nary a thing in his path as slew the late King. Now, my father was not always known for being wise and generous, but no man should ever have to be slain like that."

The woman nodded "The story does not end there, does it? You have more to tell me."

"The priestess."

The woman let a cry of indignation escape her lips. "He did not..!"

"I'm afraid so. Though I have not seen her much, I do recall that she was a creature of great beauty. I fear that she had been taken."

"This is hard to believe…and unsettling. Why would the king of Sand bring a Water girl with him?"

"I hear that she is not the only one of your tribe to have been taken by him. He has quite an… "unhealthy" obsession towards your people. Now I fear the worst for her."

His guest stood up abruptly, as did her two young aids.

"Though I had dreamed of a world far from the grip of war, too long have I sat and watched the horrors of the Sand. Now, I see that the king of that kingdom must be stopped. I cannot abide by the suffering of many of my own."

He exclaimed, his feigned concern at its perfection "We can aid you in the upcoming fight-"

"No."

"No?"

"Because of our few number, we thought that it was best to have as many allies as possible, thus our alliance with humans, no, the correct term would be _your_ country. However, you are too eager to engage in war. I see that your rule has been too young. Though we are your allies and have sworn to merge our two nation to create a united country, this remains a problem of our people. I do not wish for your people to be involved in any of our conflicts. We shall discuss this among ourselves, war with the Sand being held as a last resort.

"How can I stand aside and watch? Surely you won't let this _monster _continue his rule."

The chieftain headed for the doors. "I thank you, but do not worry for us. We are not weak. Knowing the priestess, she will do whatever it takes to help us because her love for our people knows no bond. She will keep us safe."

The king bowed "Yes, I've had the honour to witness her loyalty. It is truly admirable. I grieve for being so helpless…"

The woman frowned slightly and gave him a quick bow. After she made it through the doors, she turned around one last time.

"I see darkness in your eyes, young king of Tyr... Goodbye, your concern is well noted."

- - -

Tomoyo's eyes slowly opened. She was in an unfamiliar room, on a bed. When she sat up, the first thing she noticed was that she was naked. Fear shot across her mind. The king? Impossible. He could not touch her. Maybe the humans who resided in his kingdom.

A sense of dread came to her.

"Sorry, you were dehydrated and I had to wipe your body with a wet cloth."

She looked to the door and noticed the other water girl. Nakuru.

The woman was carrying a tray of food and approached. She set it down the floor and looked rather serious.

"Now, some people are telling me that you tried to kill our King…"

Ruby made her way around the bed to retrieve the used cloths.

Tomoyo was about to open her mouth but the other woman silenced her with a hard stare.

"Now I don't know what Kurogane-sama said to make you do…that" she waved her hand around, as if to chase away the thought, "but I will make myself very clear to you. He is my king. And my loyalty lies with him."

She set the food on the table before reaching for Tomoyo's face, checking for any symptoms and perhaps, any traces that could reassure the woman that the she won't try to pull another stunt to harm the king.

Tomoyo tried to speak once more, but Nakuru simply patted her head and made her way to the door "His needs, wants, health and happiness are all my wishes. So please recover soon, because I think that the next thing he wants to do is to talk to you."

Hurt, Tomoyo wanted to say something to the woman, the only person who has been nice to her since her arrival. But when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

Her hands quickly went to her throat, feeling for chains, ropes, anything. But her neck was free of any restraints.

As she tried to make a sound, she found that none would come out of her lips.

She was mute.

_Oh, what would a mermaid be without her voice?_

_

* * *

  
_

A/N: Done. Hope it got you people back on the line…I'm really sorry.

Dunno if you can really go mute after a person strangles you…let's say it's possible, for the sake of the story.


End file.
